Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to flash storage devices, and more particularly to a direct memory access system and method for a flash storage device.
Description of Related Art
A computer system often includes a direct memory access (DMA) controller in addition to a processor and a memory. The direct memory access controller transfers data between a peripheral device and the memory without significant involvement of the processor. Because the processor is not substantially involved in the data transfer, the processor may simultaneously perform other tasks while the direct memory access controller performs the data transfer.
The processor typically initiates a direct memory access by providing an address to the direct memory access controller. The direct memory access controller transfers data in the memory at the address, increments the address, and then transfers data at the incremented address. This process repeats until the direct memory access is complete. The direct memory access controller may include a significant amount of resources, such as a dedicated processor or programmable logic, for performing this process. Some computing systems, such as embedded computing systems, may lack available resources, such as dedicated processors or programmable logic, for implementing a conventional direct memory access controller but would benefit from the advantages of direct memory access.
In light of the above, there exists a need to provide direct memory access for different types of computing systems.